Prototype: Cyborg 000
by Triple
Summary: The prototype Cyborg made before all of the other Cyborgs we know and love has been reawakened after 40 years of being frozen. Enter Cyborg 000, a cheerful young girl who brings sunshine to the people she loves.
1. 000's Reawakening

Disclaimer: I do not own Cyborg 009 or any of its characters.

Voices… That's what she heard when she became slightly conscious again. 

'What's going on…? And why does it feel like I'm strapped to a…!' she realized she was indeed strapped to a cold lab table when she opened her eyes. She peered around and spotted three men from a distance, obviously not noticing her awakening.

They were speaking in barely audible to the normal human hearing. But she was able to catch a few words traded among the people speaking.

"This…success…" One spoke.

"Couldn't…said…better…" Another one said.

"I certainly hope Black Ghost knows what he's thinking…" The third mumbled.

She mentally frowned. 'Black Ghost…? Where have I heard that? And why is the conversation sounding clearer…?'

"You question Black Ghost's decision?"

"Of course not!" the same one that spoke last time, "It's just that adding more power to the prototype of all of the 00 Cyborgs is risky. You remember when she woke up after she was changed into a Cyborg."

"You mean when she tried to kill one of the scientists that converted her to a Cyborg?" the second one asked.

The first voice scoffed. "I remember. Nearly everyone working under Black Ghost who's still alive during the last 40 years remembers!"

'Forty years…? What-' Then it all came back to the young girl.

*Flashback*

A 3-year-old girl, hair and body messy and dirty and clad in tattered clothes, sat in the alley as snow dropped from the sky. She tried to warm herself with the old blanket she found in the dump while also trying to fall asleep.

Suddenly, shadows loomed over her. She looked up at whoever is looking down at her with unique gold eyes. Two men, dressed in black suits, hats and sunglasses, stared down at her.

"Come with us, little girl," the one nearest to her, "we'll take you to a safe place." The man extended a hand towards her.

Now being a young girl, she has yet to learn about strangers. However, this 'safe place' was probably better than freezing on the streets.

"…OK…" she softly replied before taking the man's hand.

*End Flashback*

'They gave me the name 'Kit' because my eyes reminded them of a cat's, and put me through 15 years of hard training. Whenever I did something right, they gave me one item that I wanted. But whenever I did something wrong, I was punished. After the years of living nightmare, I was Black Ghost's best soldier. It was when I was 18 that they put me to sleep and changed me into a Cyborg. When I woke up and found out, I was furious, and attacked the first scientist I saw. However, this led me to being frozen…until now. But…why?'

A hiss sounded as the door opened. Giving a silent yelp, she closed her eyes and lied back on the table, pretending she was still asleep.

"How is the Cyborg?" A new voice asked the three other.

"Cyborg 000, prototype, AKA Kit, is completed."

"Besides the characteristics of all of the cats of the feline family, we added the Acceleration Mode."

"Perfect," the new voice said, "Black Ghost will surely be proud. I'll take her to him now."

'That's my cue to MOVE IT!!' The girl, now 000, snapped her eyes open. With incredible strength, she freed herself from the straps, but also alarming the four scientists.

"No way am I going to let you just take me to this 'Black Ghost' after what you made me go through!" 000 cried as she jumped and kicked two in the head, knocking them unconscious.

"Oh no!"

"Guards!"

She whipped around when she heard that last one. "Nuh-uh! Not in this lifetime!" She kneed one in the stomach, and then smashed the last one's face onto the ground. "That's for calling the guards on me!"

000 stood up and glared at each of the unconscious body. Then, she noticed something brushing against her leg. She looked down, and let out a tiny gasp. A long, metallic, and not to mention cat-like, tail was moving around as if it had a mind of its own. She followed where it led to, and found that it belonged to her. She also noticed that she was wearing a red suit with yellow buttons and a yellow scarf. Around her waist were a belt and a holster, currently occupied by a gun of some sort.

The Cyborg blinked before holding her hand up to touch her head, only to feel something metal in her dark brown hair.

'Probably cat ears,' she thought before opening her mouth and felt her incisors. They grew a few millimeters longer since the last time she checked. 'Guess that's what they meant by 'characteristics of all cats'.'

"In here, hurry!" a voice called from behind the door as it hissed open. 000 looked up, and gulped. Soldiers stood there, their guns ready to fire if she tried to make a move.

'Oh shoot, what to do, what to do…?' A light bulb suddenly lit up in her head. 'One of the scientists said that they added Acceleration Mode to me… Let's see if I can find where it is.'

A blast, and a yowl of pain.

"Hey, were you listening to what I was saying, Cyborg?!" the head of the soldiers yelled, holding a gun much like her own.

000 let out a hiss (AN: And I mean the cat hiss.) before holding onto her shoulder. 'Damn it!' She clenched her jaws.

Then everything seemed to slow down a lot. 000 blinked, only to chuckle.

"Thank you, sergeant. You helped me figure out how to activate Acceleration Mode." But the prototype knew this was no time to joke around, and charged at the soldiers, jumping up and over them.

"Now I have to pick up a few things before I make my leave…"

"Gee, I would've thought they threw all my stuff away when they froze me," 000 wondered out loud as she looked around her ancient room. Cobwebs and dust covered her whole room. Obviously Black Ghost didn't have anyone clean this room for the last 40 years.

The half cat Cyborg shrugged. "Ah well, better for me." She grabbed a large backpack from the corner of the room, dusted it off, and put it on the bed. 

"Now, where did I put everything… Oh yes!"

She looked around the room, and soon found the items that she needed on her escape: a First-Aid kit, a small toolkit, a flashlight, and a blanket. She quickly bandaged her wounded shoulder with the First-Aid kit. 000 also threw in her CD player, a CD holder with her favorite CD's, a sketchbook with a pencil and eraser, and last, but not least, her diary.

"Well, that's done…" 000 swung the backpack over her shoulder. "Now I have to find a way out."

"Any traces of that Cyborg?" a voice shouted from behind the door.

"Not yet, sir!"

"Keep looking! She's got to be around here somewhere!"

'Uh-oh! Time to jet!' she thought as she looked around for an exit. She glanced up, and a ventilation shaft caught her attention. Using a chair to boost herself up, she pried it open and slipped in.

"Find that Cyborg, dead or alive!"

'Geez!' 000 thought as she watched the soldiers running around, trying to find her. 'They don't give up easy! Now, where can I find an exit?' As she crawled more, she found something quite interesting outside one of the shafts leading to a room.

'Hey…' she thought as she saw a small aircraft, 'I remember piloting one of those!' She gazed around the hangar, and muttered silently as she saw the soldiers standing guard. 'Oh man! How am I supposed to get past them?' She rubbed her chin as she thought of her possibilities. 'Not the Acceleration Mode… I doubt I'll be able to fly the aircraft that fast without damaging the aircraft… My cat abilities won't be of much help either… I got it!' She reached down for her gun. 'Let's see what this baby can do…' 

000 studied the gun, looking through the different modes it has. 'Needle… Blaster… Sonic Wave!' she pressed that button. 'All right! Time to rumble!'

"Hiiiiyah!" She kicked opening, breaking the metal to break. This caused all the guards to look up in surprise. 000 jumped out from the shaft.

"Eat Sonic Waves!" The Cyborg cried before pulling the trigger. Purple-pink waves came out from the blaster, enveloping the soldiers. All of them moaned in slight pain before falling unconscious. 000 performed a few twirls and somersaults before landing next to the device for opening the hangar. Suppressing the urge to dance, she flipped the switch and ran into the aircraft.

000 buckled herself into the driver's seat. She flipped all the switches to start the engine, and directed the plane to the hangar's exit. The aircraft powered up and charged to the exit.

"Halt!"

'Oh no!'

"C'mon, c'mon!" she urged the aircraft. As if hearing her, it charged fast, and soon she was up in the air, escaping from her nightmare. 000 smiled. Even though it will only be for a while, but now she can say goodbye to those people.

OK, it's official. I SUCK at stories. And I have two others to finish… Well, anyway, please leave a review. Oh, and flames will be used to fry my evil friends.


	2. 000, Meet the 00 Cyborgs!

*sniff* Thank you, everyone, for such nice reviews!

I took some time in the afternoon to whip up a picture of 000. Not one of my greatest works, but it was my first time. Just copy the link below and paste.

Disclaimer: …Ah, we all know what I'm going to type anyway.

It was nearing night. The sun was half-hidden in the red and orange-stained ocean. The Dolphin rested on an isolated beach not far, but concealed, from the city of Tokyo. It was a great day: plenty of sun, no clouds, and a nice breeze. But, there was a slight problem occurring inside the Dolphin.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap… 

"002, you've been tapping your foot for the past half hour. Is something bothering you?" 009 asked.

002 stopped his tapping. "What's bothering me is that Black Ghost hasn't attacked us for God-who-knows-how-long, and because of that, there's practically nothing to do!"

"You make it sound like no attacks is a bad thing," 004 joked. The others, all except 006 because he was in the kitchen, laughed lightly at this joke. 002 just frowned and 'hmphed'.

All of the sudden, 003 let out a gasp. "There's an aircraft heading our way!"

"Is it Black Ghost?" 008 asked the blonde Cyborg.

"I'm…not sure," 003 replied, "It sounds different from all of the other aircrafts of Black Ghost. This one sounds a bit…old."

"Where is it coming from?" 007 asked.

"It landed half a mile down the beach we're on."

"All right, 009, we'll go and check that aircraft," 004 stated, and turned to 002, "And I presume you'll be coming along?"

002 stood up, "What do you think?" and followed 004 and 009.

The three 00 Cyborgs trudged down the beach cautiously.

"According to 003, the aircraft should be over this sand dune," 009 said. Before he could set foot on the sand dune, 004 put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"I don't think we should let them know we're here yet. Let's just keep low for now."

009 nodded. The three Cyborgs crawled onto the sand dune and peered over the top, catching a glimpse of the aircraft…and a girl standing in front of it, back facing towards them.

This girl had long, soft-looking dark brown hair tied into a low ponytail with a pink ribbon. She wore a Cyborg uniform similar to theirs, and to top it all off, she had a pair of black metal cat ears and a long, metal gray tail with a sharp point at the end swishing around. They also noted that her shoulder was bandaged up, and a large sky blue backpack was by her side.

"…Are you two seeing what I'm seeing?" 002 whispered.

"Mrreoow!!" A sudden yowl came from the girl, startling the three. The unknown half-cat Cyborg turned around and jumped onto the aircraft, crouching and hissing. Her tail was also sticking up in the air, and her ears were flattened down.

Now the three were able to get a clear view of the new Cyborg's front view. She looked like she was around the age 17 or 18. Her face shone with an extremely cute innocence that belonged to a 6 year old, but it was her eyes that captured them. Her gold cat-like eyes glimmered with a strong determination. But 009 sensed that there was a hint of fear in them, just like the time when he found out that he was converted into a Cyborg.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!" the girl demanded, baring fangs.

002 reached for his blaster, but 009 stopped him. The American looked at 009, questioning why he stopped him. 009 just shook his head at him, and before either of his two teammates could stop him, he stood up.

The female Cyborg blinked, and stopped hissing, "Who are you?"

"My name is Joe Shimamura, or 009," he answered as he slowly walked towards her, ignoring 004 and 002's whispered warnings. Somehow, in his heart, he knew that this new Cyborg wasn't on Black Ghost's side.

"0…0…9?" The half-cat's tail slowly dropped, going back to its routine of moving around, "Are you a Cyborg?"

009 smiled and nodded, now confident that she wasn't one of his enemies. "Yes, I am. You are one, too, aren't you?"

The girl Cyborg looked at him, the fear absent from her eyes, and she smiled as she sat down on the aircraft, crossing her legs. "The cat ears and tail gives it away, doesn't it?" He chuckled lightly at this small joke. "Yes, I'm a Cyborg also."

"What's your name?"

She put a finger on her chin, as if thinking about something. "How about…I tell you once your two friends there decide to stop hiding?"

009 blinked, then remembered that 002 and 004 were still here. "Oh, right." He turned around, facing where his teammates are.

"How did she know we were here?" 002 whispered to 004.

"Uh, if you can't tell, fellow Cyborgs, it's because of my cat ears," she said as she tapped one of her cat ears, "its hearing has been increased."

Silence. But 004 and 002 slowly stood up and walked to where 009 is. The female Cyborg looked at 002 and then at 004, studying the two. 002 didn't look happy about being found out so easily, but 004 watched over the new Cyborg in the same manner she did to them.

"So, what are your names?" she asked, finally.

"Oh, right," 004 started, "I'm Albert, better known as 004, and that's Jet Link, but he prefers 002." 002 just crossed his arms and looked at the other way.

The girl just tilted her head, "Not a very talkative one, is he?"

"You could say that. By the way, what's your name?"

She pushed herself off the aircraft and landed three feet away from them. Her height only reached 009's chest. "Kit, AKA prototype Cyborg 000, at your service." 000 did a little bow at her introduction.

009 blinked, "000?"

"Yup."

"Prototype Cyborg?" 002 questioned. Obviously, that part caught his interest.

"Uh-huh."

004 rubbed his chin, "But why didn't we know about this…?"

"Uh…" 000 put her hands behind her and started switching her weight from one foot to the other, "Maybe it'll be better if we went someplace else to talk. Preferably somewhere more private."

The three male Cyborgs looked at each other, and nodded, agreeing that it would be better to be in a more secret place.

"OK, we'll talk on the Dolphin," 009 said.

"The Dolphin?"

"Our ship," 002 answered simply, then grumbled something like, 'Ridiculous name…'.

000, however, caught that last bit. "I think it's cute." That caused 002 to mumble more.

"Biiiiig…" 000 said as she looked up at the Dolphin, impressed by its massive size.

"I take it you never seen a ship this big," 004 said while smirking. 000 just shook her head dumbly as she followed 009. 009 looked over his shoulder at the half-cat. He knew that she was nervous, but she covered it up with her surprise and amazement at the interior of the Dolphin. He smiled. In a strange way, she reminded him of himself. He turned back to the front before she would notice him looking at her, and opened the door to the main room.

"Oh, you're back," Professor Gilmore said.

"Anything on that unknown aircraft?" 008 asked.

"Actually, we found something, or rather…" 009 side-stepped, "Someone by that aircraft. Everyone, meet 000."

"Hi," 000 greeted with a bright smile.

"000, I'd like you to meet Professor Gilmore, holding Baby Ivan, or 001. This is Francoise, better known as 003. Over there by the pilot seats is Pyunma, 008, and over here is G. Junior, but we call him 005. That's G.B., other known as 007, and our chef Chang-Changku, 006, is at the kitchen fixing dinner."

"It's a pleasure to meet each of you."

003 smiled at the younger female, "The pleasure's all ours."

"Nice to meet you, 000," 008 said. 005 nodded her way with a warm welcoming smile.

"000," 007 said as he suddenly appeared besides her, making her jump a little, "May I say that it's a pleasure to meet a beautiful young lady such as yourself." The Britain took 000's hand and kissed the back of it. Needless to say, 000's cheeks flushed red.

"Quite the gentleman, aren't we?" 000 joked while giggling. She glanced over at Professor Gilmore, who was staring at her. 'He's been staring at me like that ever since I was introduced to him…'

Pulling her hand back and clearing her throat, she asked, "Is something the matter, Professor?" Upon hearing this, the professor snapped back to reality. 

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. It's just that I believe I heard your name before. You see, I used to work for Black Ghost…" At this, all the Cyborgs in the room looked at 000, causing her to become more nervous than before.

But she just shrugged and crossed her arms. "Maybe this will clear it up: I was changed into a Cyborg 40 years ago, and attempted to kill one of the scientists responsible for my change."

"Ah, yes, I remember now. I heard about you from the man that was attacked. He had quite a nasty scar on his face."

000 chuckled nervously as she scratched her head sheepishly. The other Cyborgs just stared at her, as if that it was hard that such a polite and cheerful Cyborg could just jump and attack someone.

"Dinner! Come and get it!"

"…Was that 006?" 000 asked to no one in particular.

"Yes," 003 answered.

000 clapped her hands together. "Well then, how about I tell you guys my story after dinner? I'm starving!"

Everyone agreed that it was a good idea. As 002 reached for the door's open switch, 007 cuts him off.

"Ah, ah, ah! Ladies first!" he said before opening the door, "Here you are!" He bowed before gesturing the door to 000 and 003.

"And I repeat, quite the gentleman," 000 said before following 003, who giggled softly at her statement.

002 rolled his eyes. "You really need to give it a rest."

"Hey!"

Laughter. 000 smiled. 'What a nice bunch of people.'

There ya go, chapter two! Oh yeah, I'm gonna go somewhere for vacation, so there won't be any new chapters for the next 6 days. Please leave a review, and flames shall be used to toast marshmallows! S'mores, anyone?


	3. The Prototype's Story

Whee, I'm back! Did you miss me? *tosses around s'mores for anyone who wants it*

Gah, the link didn't show on the last chapter. Anyway, there are 3 pics of Cyborg 000 in my deviantART account. Just type the following (And in case if the link doesn't show again, I'll put a space in between each letter.):

h t t p : / / x a c a n i . d e v i a n t a r t . c o m /

Anyways, on with the next chapter!

"God, I never had food that delicious, ever!" 000 let out a happy sigh before leaning back in the chair she was sitting in. "006, I'd like to learn your way of cooking!"

006 laughed warm-heartedly. "Well, that's a first! Someone asking me for lessons! I'll think about it, 000."

"OK!"

Dinner was great. 000 never had a homemade meal like the one 006 made. It was great that after a 40-year sleep, you get to eat tasty food. She was glad that she bumped into this group of friendly Cyborgs.

"So, 000," 003 started, "How are you connected with Black Ghost?"

"Ah, yes, Black Ghost…" the half-cat crossed her arms and legs, "Let's start with how miserable my life was before I met them."

"Ever since I was 3, I had been living on the streets, cold and hungry. I had no family, no friends, nothing. Just the streets and myself. Everyday it was the same thing: scrounging around for food to fill my empty stomach or finding any old cloth to provide warmth to protect my body from the cold. But, one day, it all changed…" She fell silent for a few seconds. "Ever since that day…"

"It was snowing and freezing, one of the times I wished that I had a place to sleep and a warmer blanket. That day was the coldest ever. I thought that I might've froze to death. Then two men, dressed in black, stood over me. They offered me a safe place to live, with warmth and food."

"And you accepted," 002 bluntly said.

000 glanced at him. "I was only 3, and I never had anyone tell me about strangers. I was starving, and I was freezing my butt off. What else was I supposed to do?" 002 didn't answer.

"Continuing on, I accepted the men's offer. They gave me the name 'Kit', because my eyes reminded them of a cat's. For the next 15 years, I was put through harsh training, even if I was too young or small. And each time I messed up, I was punished severely." 

"How severely?" 005 asked.

000 didn't answer. Her eyes were suddenly blank and emotionless. In her mind, a flashback of when she was being punished replayed.

'Loud whipping sounds and screams. New pain searing through my body after each slash…'

"000?" 009's soft and warm voice snapped her back to reality.

She blinked. "Oh, sorry. I must've blanked out for a second. To answer your question, 005…" she rubbed the back of her neck, "Let's just say I still have scars from those punishments." She pulled up her right sleeve all the way to her elbow, making the others gasp. There, a long and vicious scar showed, all the way from her wrist to her elbow. "This is one of my older ones, I believe I received this one when I was first punished."

003 put a hand over her mouth. "How cruel…"

"Destroying people and their lives is one thing, but abusing children…" 008 started as he averted his gaze down.

"That's just taking it to a new low level," 004 finished for him.

"I quite agree," Dr. Gilmore added his two cents, "But we're getting off subject. 000, if you please…"

000 nods. "Of course, Professor," she pulls her sleeve back down, "Even after all the hard times, I didn't complain. What's the use of complaining anyway? It gets you nowhere. So after 15 years of training, I became the best soldier Black Ghost ever had. Because of this news, one of the scientists informed me that Black Ghost wanted to congratulate me."

She smiled in an ironic way as she put a hand to her head. "Boy, did he congratulate me. When I entered his quarters, he knocked me out. When I came to, I was on a lab table, surrounded by scientists."

"One of the scientists explained that I was changed into a Cyborg as Black Ghost wanted. That's when something inside of me snapped. After working so hard under him, he repays me by making me into a Cyborg. I leapt at the scientist that spoke to me and slashed at his face. When I heard his shout of pain, I realized that I had long claws. Before I knew what exactly was going on, I was bashed on the head, and fell unconscious." 000 brings her hand down as she falls silent for a while. "And that, my friends, is what I remember 40 years ago."

Silence fell upon the Cyborgs as they registered 000's story in their minds.

"Your life must've been hard, 000," 007 said.

She just shrugged. "It was all right. You guys probably had it harder, since Black Ghost also changed you guys to Cyborgs but rebelled against them," she replied. The others looked at her, confused. "It's not hard to figure that you guys all have a grudge against Black Ghost once you think," she explained before stifling a yawn.

"You must be tired after such a long day, m'dear," Dr. Gilmore stated, "I think it's best you get some rest."

000 smiled. "Great idea, Professor, except only one tiny problem."

"Yes?"

"Where am I supposed to sleep?"

"Thanks for letting me sleep on your bedroom floor, 003," 000 said as she set up the sleeping bag that was her temporary bed.

"You're welcome, 000. Are you sure you want to sleep on the floor, though?"

"Sure I'm sure! After all, you also lent me spare pajamas." 000 held up her arms, showing off the loose pink T-shirt and the pair of red pants she now wore. "But it's still a bit big on me…"

"We'll have to buy some clothes for you to wear, since wearing your Cyborg uniform may cause some suspicions."

The smaller Cyborg scratched her cheek with her index finger. "But then I'd have to come along if we want to get the right sizes. The uniform can be passed as a costume. However, the main problems are my ears and tail," as if on cue, her left ear twitched and her tail swished even more, "These newly acquired limbs may cause a lot more suspicions than my uniform can."

003 put a hand on her chin, thinking. "Yes, that may cause a problem…" the blonde Cyborg stands up and walks towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm just going to have a little talk with Dr. Gilmore."

"Oh, OK! Come back soon!"

The French girl smiled at her before leaving the room. 'She's just like a younger sister, only she is actually older than I am,' 003 thought before making her way to the professor's room.

'Well, now that no one's around…' 000 rummaged through her backpack and pulled out her diary, pencil and eraser.

"Let's see…" she flipped through her ancient diary until the last entry she had written and spun her pencil for a while.

"…I forgot to ask what date it is. Oh well, I'll ask 003 when she gets back," she said before placing her pencil on the blank page.

**Dear Diary,**

**            After 40 years of being frozen, I was brought back to the living today. I still don't understand why Black Ghost woke me up at all. After all, I caused problems when I was converted into a Cyborg. Why now, of all times? Ah well, better not worry about things like that. Anyway, I escaped Black Ghost, as I had planned many years ago. But I never thought that I'd run into people who were also changed into Cyborgs! Nine other Cyborgs, to be exact. I'll list their names down, put what I think about them at the side, and then draw a small picture of them.**

**001/Ivan-He's a baby! Literally! I haven't talked to him yet because he was sleeping. He's so cute, but then again, all babies are cute.**

**002/Jet-Well… That guy doesn't seem to trust me at all. If my sixth sense is correct (which always seem to be accurate), he's tough on the outside, but once he opens up, he'll be a friend that will always help out in a time of need. He's not a bad-looking fellow, either.**

**003/Francoise-She is just like a big sister! She's nice and friendly, definitely someone that you would open up to! She's very pretty, and she looks like she's got something for 009~!**

**004/Albert-One of the most very unique-looking guys I've ever seen. He has silver eyes and gray hair, only he's not old at all. He looks to me like he's the calm type when in battle. He's also kind of cute~~**

**            005/G. Junior-He's very quiet. He hardly talked at all. But he gives me the image of a wise man.**

**            006/Chang-The best cook that ever lived! I wonder if he'll agree to give me cooking lessons?**

**007/G.B.-Gee, and I thought the male Black Ghost soldiers were flirts. This guy takes the cake when it comes to flirting. But he's different from the past flirters because he is also a gentleman!**

**008/Pyunma-From the look of his eyes, I can tell that he also had tough training before. He is probably the only other Cyborg that has any real combat skills.**

**009/Joe-He's really nice to me, and he tries his best to make me feel welcome. Maybe it's just me, but it feels like we're similar in some ways. He's quite a looker, too. This is my sixth sense speaking, but I think he likes 003, but won't tell her!**

**            And then there's Professor Gilmore. He also used to be with Black Ghost, just like me. He gives me the image of a father-like figure to all of the other Cyborgs.**

**            As you can tell, I made many friends on my first day of returning to reality. I wonder what fun and disasters will unfold for me now? Whatever it is, I'll keep you posted.**

                                                                                                                                                                                    000, AKA Kit

Before 000 closed her diary, the door opened, causing her to look up. 003 came back, with a gold pendant hanging from a matching chain in her hand.

"Welcome back!" 000 greeted her, "What's that you have there?"

003 held the pendant up. "This? It's a small device that will project a hologram over you so that it will hide your ears and tail. Dr. Gilmore wants you to have it, as a welcoming gift. He also that he already made it so that the device will project a hologram of you, without the cat ears and tail."

"Wow…"

003 handed the pendant to 000. The younger Cyborg looked it over and traced it with a finger.

"I really need to think of a way to thank you guys."

"You joining us is already a wonderful way of thanking us, 000."

"I guess…"

"Well, I'll be turning the lights off now. Is that OK with you?"

"Go ahead. I was planning to ask you, anyway."

A click, and the lights in 003's room went off.

"Good night, 000."

"Sleep tight, 003."

Chapter 3 is done. Took me two days to finish it. And during those two days, I colored one of the pictures of 000 in her casual clothes. I wonder if I should scan it? Anyways, please leave a review, and flames shall be used to roast chickens! Now, I'm off to draw more Cyborg 009 pictures!


	4. Shopping and Explosion Do Not Mix

Wow, people like my story! *bounces around* I'm happy, I'm happy~!

I would like to thank all the nice people who reviewed my story. Really, you guys make me very happy!

Anyway, on with the fic!

000 opened her eyes, waking up from her slumber. Sunshine came from the small window of 003's bedroom and shone right on her face.

'Oh well, I was going to wake up anyway,' she thought before sitting up. Looking over towards the bed, she saw that 003 was still sleeping. She stretched her upper body quietly before getting out of her sleeping bag. She grabbed her uniform and went to the bathroom to change and to clean up.

As 000 was washing her face, her tail suddenly stuck up. 'I forgot to ask 003 what the date was yesterday!' She lightly slapped her forehead. 'God, what made me forget?' A while later of standing there in that position, she remembered. 'Oh, right. The pendant Dr. Gilmore gave me.' Shrugging, she wiped her face with a towel. 'Oh well, I'll ask her or one of the others later.'

Once she was done, she sneaked out of the bathroom. 'What time is it anyway?' She thought as she slipped the gold necklace around her neck. Glancing over at the clock, she blinked. '6:30. Huh, an hour and a half later than my training days. You'd think that being frozen for 40 years would make you sleep longer…' She took her CD player out from her pack before creeping out of 003's bedroom.

'What to do now? Everyone's probably still sleeping…' 000 put her earphones in her ears and pressed 'Play'. After listening to her CD player for 2 minutes, she finally decided to get out, climb to the highest part of the Dolphin and sit there and watch the sea while listening to music. It was better than just sitting in the ship while staring off into space. And so, the half-cat Cyborg set off to kill the spare time she has before 006 made breakfast.

"OK, what the hell was I thinking when I decided to climb to the top of the Dolphin?" 000 wondered out loud as she looked up at the massive ship, "Oh well, this will be good exercise for my body." She peers down at her independent-minded tail. 'And it will be a good test to see how great my new Cyborg body is.'

"Mreow!" 000 jumped up into the air and started scaling the Dolphin. "Wow, I can jump higher than before! And I'm hardly sweating even though I kept jumping for the past few minutes."

Before long, she reached the top of the ship. "I have to give credit, they gave me good abilities!" She plopped down on her rear end and stared out at the sea. It was sparkling from the morning sun, resembling like a cascade of stars.

"It's so pretty…"

Her CD player chose that time to play a different song. As it started playing, 000 started singing the lyrics in a sweet yet strong voice.

Sometimes we get second chances  
And sometimes we never make it past the first  
It really makes you wonder why some things happen when they do  
It really makes me wonder why it wasn't me instead of you  
And when you say   
It doesn't matter well it does  
And all it takes  
Is a mistake to eat your words  
Just one more time I think I'll drive on home tonight  
Sometimes we never see the warning  
And the voice in your head tells you not to go  
It really makes me wonder why some things happen when they do  
It really makes me wonder why it wasn't me instead of you  
And when you say  
It doesn't matter well it does  
And all it takes  
Is a mistake to eat your words  
Just one more time I think I'll drive on home tonight  
And when you look its gone its too late to turn around  
And it's another day facing yourself and the things that you've done  
And when you say   
It doesn't matter well it does  
And all it takes   
Is a mistake to eat your words  
Just one more time I think I'll drive on home tonight

("Second Chances" is by Michelle Branch)

The prototype closed her eyes and breathed in deep before exhaling.

"That was a nice song," a voice suddenly spoke.

"Mrrreow!" 000 tail stood up into the air as she clutched her heart and turned around, wanting to know who had been listening to her sing for the past few minutes.

"Sorry, did I scare you there?"

"Don't EVER do that to me again, 004!" 000 yelled at the silver-eyed man, her tail slowly relaxing. 004 chuckled as she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. He walked to where their new recruit is and sat down next to her. None of them said anything.

"…So," 000 started, "What brought you out here?"

"Just coming out for a small walk. I heard someone singing, so I decided to see who it was. Boy, was I surprised that it was you."

"What, didn't expect me to be the singing-type?"

He rubbed his chin with his mechanical hand. "Well, that, and I didn't know you could sing so well."

At this comment, 000's cheek turned slightly pink.

"Yeah, well, I always sang songs by my favorite musicians," she replied as she scratched her head sheepishly, "But this is the first time that I had a spectator."

"Well, aren't I a lucky one?" a smirking 004 said. 000 laughed light-heartedly, making him smile instead of smirk. 'Even though we just met, it feels like she's been with us for a long time. Maybe it's because of her friendly attitude.'

"000! 004! Are you two out here?" 006's cheery voice called from below.

"We're up here, 006! On top of the Dolphin!" 000 answered, "What's up?"

"Breakfast is served! You two better hurry before it's all gone!"

"Okey-dokey!" she replied with a smile and stood up. "C'mon, 004! I'll race you down!"

"All right, you're on!"

With that, the two Cyborgs jumped down from the Dolphin little by little, careful not to trip and fall.

000 sighed happily as she put a hand on her stomach. 'I knew I shouldn't have stuffed myself, but man, 006's cooking is the best!'

"Oh, 000?" 006 said.

"What's up?"

"I've been thinking about those lessons you asked, and I decided that I'll teach you."

She blinked, "You mean you're going to teach me?"

"That's right."

Resisting the urge to cheer, she simply responded with, "Thank you, 006."

"Now then, all I have to do is do the grocery shopping."

003 put a hand on 000's shoulder, causing the prototype to look up at her. "And we need to do some clothes shopping for you."

"Oh, right," she said before getting out of her seat. She held up the pendant and pressed a button. A hologram surrounded her, and a more human-looking version of herself appeared.

003, already dressed in her casual clothes, took the shorter Cyborg's hand and led themselves to the exit. "We'll be going now."

"Have fun, you two!" 007 said.

"Be careful, OK?"

"We will, 007 and 009!" 000 said before disappearing with 003.

After the two left, 006 rubbed his hands together. "Now then, who will go with me on grocery shopping?"

None of them answered.

"How about this one, Kit?"

"Hmm, it's not bad, but I don't think it suits me," 000 answered as she put the shirt back onto the rack. She didn't pick a lot of clothes yet, but she already picked clothes she needed for sleeping in, for cold and hot weather. Still, she hasn't chosen the one she needed for casual wear.

"Oh, well, we'll just keep looking till then," 003 said as she looked through the racks again. 000 looked at the French girl.

'Hmm, I wonder if I should ask? I guess so, since this may be the only time that we can talk privately without the guys listening in.'

"Hey Francoise."

"Yes?"

Looking around, making sure that no one they knew were around, she whispered, "Do you like Joe?"

The blonde Cyborg dropped the pants she was holding, blushing wildly. "W-what are you talking about?"

"So you DO like him-umph!" The half-cat's mouth was immediately covered by a flustered 003.

"Please, not so loud!" Once she was sure that the prototype calmed down, she pulled her hand away. "I like Joe, but it's in a friend way."

"Are you sure?" 003 nods. "If you say so…" When the taller Cyborg picked up the pair of pants she dropped, 000 rolled her eyes.

'You're not telling me the full truth, 003. Looks like I'm going to be matchmaker for a while! I will-Hey…' 000 turned around, and spotted an outfit different from all the others she had seen.

"Francoise?"

"What is it, Kit?"

"I think I found what I want to wear out."

At a café in the city of Tokyo, 002, 004, 007, and 009 were enjoying a cup of coffee while chatting with each other.

"How long have Francoise and Kit been shopping?" 009 asked to no one in particular.

007 looked at his watch. "It's been about two hours since we last seen them," he responded before taking a sip.

"Geez, I don't get why women take so long just shopping for clothes!" 002 groaned before putting his lips to his cup.

"Well, excuse ME for taking such a long time!"

All four Cyborgs turned their eyes toward the direction the oh-so-familiar voice came from, and each of them suddenly had a different facial expression from before. 009's eyes were as big as saucers, 004's jaw dropped wide-open, 007 choked on his last sip of coffee, and 002 spat out his coffee, only missing the others by an inch or so.

"So, fellows, what do you think?" 000 inquired as she spun around once, showing off her new clothes. What she wore was a tight, sleeveless beige shirt with a turtleneck, tight-fitting pants, light brown boots, and a beige hat. Her pink ribbon was replaced with a light brown one. But what was special about this outfit was that attached to the back of the shirt, was a pair of white angel wings.

"You look as beautiful as a white rose with dewdrops, milady," 007 said with a charming smile. This made 000 blush again.

"I'll have to agree with 007," 004 smiled.

009 blinked and rubbed his eyes. "Wow, 000. You look great!"

"Thanks!" their new Cyborg friend glimpsed at 002, and smiled. "So, what do YOU think, Jet?"

The orange-haired Cyborg blinked while wiping his mouth. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because I want to know what you think about me," 000 said as she shrugged. It seems that she didn't notice what she had said because that statement caused the tough 002 to blush lightly. He looked down to hide his blush, but was a bit too late.

"Hey! Were you blushing?" 000 asked as she tried to look at his face.

"No, I wasn't."

"Yes, you were!" she started poking him.

"Hey, quit it!"

"Not until you admit that you were blushing!"

The others laughed at the two's antics. After a solid 5 minutes, 000 stopped poking and sat down to have a strawberry smoothie. Then, she heard something in the back of her head.

000… 

"Huh?" She looked around the café, but didn't see anyone that could've whispered her Cyborg name.

"What's wrong?" 009 asked.

Shaking her head and giving a reassuring smile, she replied, "Nah, everything's cool." But she couldn't shake off this feeling that she heard that voice somewhere.

'Maybe I'm just experiencing another flashback,' 000 reasoned, 'Maybe-' Her thoughts were cut off when a building not far from them exploded, and screams rang throughout the streets.

Well, wasn't that fun? Oh yeah, I uploaded a colored version of Cyborg 000 in her casual clothes on my deviantART account. Check back on chapter 3 for the link.

So, in the future, there shall be 003/009 fluff. Now, I am asking you, the readers/reviewers, who do you think 000 should be paired with? I know, stupid question, but I can't help but be curious about what you guys think!

Please leave a review… And flames shall be used to warm my bath water!


	5. The Wrath of a Beserk Cyborg

Wow, lots of people voted for Albert/004 and Jet/002.

I really need a list of how old everyone is… Some of them were frozen, so who knows how old they really are.

000: And I was made before any of them?

More or less.

000: …God, I feel like an old grandma.

Well, anyway, here's chapter 5!

"We need to put this fire out, now!"

"Get this man to the hospital, stat!"

Various voices shouted orders as they 00 Cyborgs neared the explosion site.

"My God…" 000 whispered as she stared. A department store was burning brightly, engulfed by orange flames. Even though she and her friends were a distance away, the heat was agonizing.

"What could've caused the explosion…?" 009 wondered out loud.

Suddenly, 003 gasped. "There's children in there!"

"What? How many?" 004 asked.

"There are two of them. One of them looks around age 5, and the other around age 7."

"Oh man," 002 said, "What could be worse?"

007 started looking around. "Hey, where's 000?"

Upon hearing this, the rest looked around, not spotting the half-cat Cyborg anywhere.

"Where is-"

"Hey miss! It's dangerous in there!" one of the firemen's voices interrupted 004's statement. All of them turned to the building, only to see 000 rushing in, ignoring the heat.

"000!" 003 cried, and tried to follow her, only to be held back by 009.

"Don't! It's too dangerous!" he explained.

"But, 000, she's-"

"Sir! Wait! Stop!"

They snapped their attention to the burning structure, only to see something they least expected: 002 went after 000.

"Those kids have to be here somewhere," 000 said with a hand over her mouth and nose, trying to not breath the smoke. She dodged the fire and burning stands as she kept searching for the children. Abruptly, she stopped. 'Strange, I think I hear someone behind me…' she thought and turned around. A familiar head of orange hair appeared in the distance.

000 frowned as the figure got closer. "002! What are you doing here?"

"To make sure you don't do something stupid," he answered through a slight smirk.

She groaned, annoyed at the taller male, but soon remembered the lives of the two youngsters. "Never mind, we have to save the kids!"

"Can you hear them?"

"Hold on, maybe if I concentrate…" she closed her eyes, using her cat hearing to try and listen for any sounds the children makes.

_Somebody, help us!_

000's eyes snapped open. "I found them!" she yelled over the roar of fire before taking off to the direction where the cry came from, followed closely by 002. Soon, they reached the two children. They were surrounded by an intense fire, and forced to stay in the corner. 

"Oh great! How are we supposed to get over that without drawing attention to ourselves?"

000 didn't answer. Instead, she ran towards the fire.

"Hey, wait!" he made a grab for her arm. He caught nothing but air.

'All right, get ready,' she thought to herself as she neared the fire. Then just about two feet away, she jumped, high enough to get over the fire and land next to the kids without getting singed. She almost tripped, but caught herself. Instead of seeing if she was all right, she looked at the two youths. The bigger one, a boy, was hugging a small, sobbing girl in his arms. 

"Hey there, are you two OK?" 000 asked.

Unable to find his voice, the boy merely nodded.

"You're crazy, Kit!" the female Cyborg heard 002 shout over the flames. He obviously knew not to call her by her Cyborg name with the kids around.

"Whatever, Jet!" she cried back, and turned her attention back to the children. "My friend and I are going to get both of you out of here. But in order to get you two over the flames, I need to hold one of you at a time and jump over it."

"Please, take my little sister first," the boy said as he gently made her let go of him.

000 nods. "I will," she said before taking the small girl in her arms. "Hold on tight, OK?"

The girl nods, and with all her might, 000 jumped over the flames and landed safely on the other side.

"Jet, take this one out of here first," the prototype said as she handed him the little girl.

After taking the bundle, 002 asked, "But what about you?"

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Just get the girl to safety."

Knowing that there was no point in arguing, the American nods, and dashes off. Once he was gone, 000 went back for the boy.

"W-will my sister be all right, miss?"

She gave an assuring nod to the boy. "She's in good hands," she said before taking the boy into her arms. "C'mon, let's get you out of here!"

"They been in there for an awfully long time…" 009 said.

003 put a hand to her heart. "I hope they're all right…"

The fire was still burning, and growing by the second. It was impossible to put the fire out now.

"Hey, 002's coming out!" 007 exclaimed as he pointed to the building's entrance.

Sure enough, the hotheaded Cyborg rushed out, a little girl in his arms.

"My little baby!" a woman cried when she spotted the girl. 002 handed her to the woman before turning back to the inferno.

"Jet!"

He spun around, only to face a worried 004.

"Where's Kit?"

"She's still inside. I'm going back to get her!"

Their conversation was overheard, and a fireman stood in front of them.

"Sorry, but we can't let you in."

004 looked miffed. "But our friend is in there!"

"Someone's coming out!" a voice cried.

The two male Cyborgs looked towards the entrance, and saw a distant, but familiar figure.

"There's the exit, little guy!" 000 yelled as she spotted the store's exit. She could even see 002 and 004 and all the other people.

"Yay, we're going to make it!"

She would've laughed if she didn't hear creaking noises. She glanced up at the top of the way out, only to see it breaking up.

'Oh no! It's going to collapse! We won't be able to make it out!' she thought, and peered down at the boy. 'But maybe…'

"Hey little dude! Brace yourself!"

The boy blinked. "What?"

000 fixed her eyes on the exit, and locked eyes with the two male Cyborgs.

"Hey you two! Catch!" she cried, and once she was five feet from the exit, she threw the boy at them. Right after the boy was outside, the top part of the door collapsed, blocking the way out. She screeched to a halt, and stared at the debris.

"Good thing I spotted that. It could've taken the boy and myself," she brushed back a stray strand of hair, "And, it's also a good thing that the boy is safe now…" With that, she turned around and started searching for another way out.

"Hey you two! Catch!" the male Cyborgs heard 000 cry, and she threw the boy at them. On the bright side, the boy was safely caught and brought back to his mother. Unfortunately, when the boy was thrown at them, the entrance to the department store collapsed.

"Kit!" 009 yelled. He attempted to run into the building, but 002 and 004 held him back.

"What are you doing?! We have to save her!"

"How, may I ask?" 002 asked. His question stopped the struggling Cyborg. 

"We can't save her without drawing attention to ourselves," 004 explained, "For now, it's best we hope and pray that she'll be able to get out of there before the whole building collapses on her."

009 looked down, knowing that they both had a point. 003 went up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Joe…"

"Don't worry! She'll be fine!" 007 stated, hoping to cheer the Japanese teen up.

However, that hardly helped him at all.

"There doesn't seem to be any other exits, on the first floor or the second floor," the half-cat Cyborg said to herself as she coughed slightly from the smoke. Her eyes scanned her blazing surroundings, and stopped at the windows. "Maybe if I can break those-"

Her sentence was cut off short when she heard a sound to her left side, and snapped her head towards it. But something rammed her into the wall on her right and held her there.

"Ow…" she said as she shook her head, hoping the pain on her head would go away.

"So, you're Cyborg 000?" a harsh and cold voice asked.

She blinked and raised her head up. What rammed her into the wall was a large black robotic arm. This arm belonged to a man with long black hair, black mascara, and black lipstick. He wore a black version of the normal Cyborg uniform, but the scarf was still yellow. There was only one word to describe this man: gothic.

"So what if I am," 000 managed to respond even with the extra pressure on her body and the fire burning her back, "What matters to me is your name."

The man smirked. "The Black Ghost scientists call me, '0021'." Now he has her full attention.

"You're 0021? Are you the one that caused the explosion?" She could've sworn his smirk became wider.

"So what if I did?"

000 eyes widened before they glared at the gothic Cyborg. "You… Many people would've died because of your stunt!"

He merely shrugged. "So? Ask me if I care. My former mission was to find and take you back. But it seems that you won't, so that leaves me only one option: to terminate you!" At that, he threw the half-cat at the opposite wall, causing a dent as her back connected with the wall.

"Come on! Don't tell me that's all the prototype Cyborg has!" 0021 taunted her. But it was ignored, as 000 slowly got up, her teeth clenched and baring fangs. The attack was painful, but that was nothing compared to what she was going to do to him.

"You…you…BASTARD!!!" she screamed before she fully stood up and glared at him. Suddenly, her eyes glowed bright red, and her body was surrounded by a red aura. Slowly, 000's fangs and claws grew longer. Howls of anger can be heard from the prototype. Her sudden growth didn't stop until her fangs were an inch long, and her claws were 3 inches long.

"W-what is this?" 0021's eyes widened in slight horror at the changed female, "They never said that you were able to change!"

No reply came from her. Instead, she charged at him.

Not ready to just give up, 0021 readied his fist. "Take this!" he delivered a powerful punch to the half-cat. Unfortunately, nothing was there.

"Huh? Where'd she-ARRRRGH!!!"

000 was behind the gothic Cyborg, her hand through his chest.

"No…way… How could she be so…fast?" he croaked out. Just as fast as she suddenly pierced his chest, she pulled her hand out, finishing the attack on the new 00 Cyborg. He fell onto the floor limply, dead.

She stared at the lifeless body with her glowing red eyes. Gradually, her fangs became shorter and her claws disappeared. Her eyes returned back to their normal gold color. Once she reverted back to normal, her body began to sway back and forth.

"Ugh, why am I so weak…? And why does my head hurt?" She finally noticed the fallen 0021. "Huh? How did he get killed?" But her questions weren't answered when the ceiling above her started to fracture.

'Uh-oh! No time!' she thought as she rushed at the windows with her arms crossed and held up to protect her head. A shattering of glass, and a deafening crash were all she heard before she started falling.

"Stand back, everyone! It's going to collapse!" a fireman bellowed.

"No!" 009 yelled, "Kit!" Again, he tried to rush into the building, only to be held back by 002 and 004 again.

Out of the blue, the sound of shattering glass echoed the streets, and then the crashing of the blazing building.

"Mom, look! It's the girl that saved Rosie and me!" the boy cried as he pointed up. All of the Cyborgs looked up, and found that the little boy had said the truth. There was 000, eyes closed and falling headfirst towards the street below her.

"Kit!"

004 made a mad dash to her, and caught her in his arms just in time.

"000, can you hear me? 000!" Almost immediately, the others surrounded him.

His answer was a few groans, and then her eyes opened bit by bit.

"00…4?" She lifted her head up, trying to see if it was the Cyborg she named.

The silver-eyed man breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Don't scare us like that!" 007 said.

"We thought you were going to be killed!" 003 cried.

"Heh, sorry about that, guys…" 000 replied, embarrassed.

"Um, excuse me?" a soft voice interrupted.

All Cyborgs turned their attention to the brother and sister 000 and 002 saved.

"We just wanted to say thanks, for saving us, miss," the boy started. He held his little sister so that she could face the injured 000.

The little girl smiled brightly. "Thank you, miss!"

000 couldn't help but smile back. "No problem, you two. Just be careful…around…fires." With that, she lost her strength and let her head fall.

"Kit!" she heard her friends exclaim before falling a blissful unconsciousness.

That's chapter 5! This has more action than the other previous chapters. Though, to me, this chapter isn't all that great.

OK, please leave a review, and flames shall be used to fry my enemies!


	6. Black Ghost Nightmare

Let's see, how to start off... I know! I'll start by thanking leif for the list of the Cyborgs' age! I really needed that.

000: 003's older than 009? I didn't know that!

Why do you think I needed that list to begin with?

And, for the ted sliding down her face from her eyes.

_"Oh, but this will happen…" a new voice spoke._

_"Huh?"_

_Suddenly, the field vanished, along with her Cyborg friends. She was now surrounded by darkness._

_"What the- All right, who are you?! Show yourself!"_

_"As you wish," that same voice said._

_Soon, a figure dressed in black appeared. He didn't look any different, except for the black skull mask he hid his face with._

_His appearance triggered something in her memory, and 000 hissed at him._

_"Black Ghost!" she spat out, as if his name was venom, "What are you doing here?!"_

_"I only came to give you an offer," he explained casually._

_She raised an eyebrow at him. "An offer?"_

_"It's quite simple, really. You come back to me, and I won't kill you. However, if you don't come back…"_

_The field came back, and 000 glanced back. The lifeless bodies of her friends had returned with it._

_"…This is what I'll do to your friends."_

_The half-cat Cyborg whimpered quietly at the sight. If there was one thing she dreaded, it was the death of friends._

_"Take your time in deciding, Cyborg. Until then, others like 0021 will continue to pursue you!"_

_At that, everything became dark again._

*End Dream Sequence*

Gasping loudly, 000 woke up in cold sweat. She panted heavily as she looked around the room, trying to calm her nerves. Much to her relief, she was still in the medical bay.

'It was all a dream… But, it felt so real…' She lied back down onto the bed, an arm over her eyes. The dream was still clear as crystal in her head, never fading.

'_Take your time in deciding, Cyborg. Until then, others like 0021 will continue to pursue you!'_

"What am I supposed to do…?" she asked aloud, a stray tear falling from her cheek.

That's it for chapter 6!

Uh… Surprisingly, I don't know what to say now! *laughs nervously*

000: *grumbles about 'Indecisive Authoress…'*

Please leave a review, and flames shall be used to bake cookies!


	7. Attack of a Vengeful Cyborg

Believe me, angelkeiko, I tried. But it's still comes out the same.

*throws chocolate chip, sugar, and many other variety of cookies* Enjoy the cookies, and here's chapter 7!

The next morning, it was bright yet quiet. All of the 00 Cyborgs, minus 001, had already woken up and enjoying a cup of tea or coffee. Well, all except for 000. The old, yet still young Cyborg hadn't waken up yet.

"What time is it?" 009 asked, a concerned tone in his voice.

"It's eleven o'clock," 007 answered simply.

"That's weird," 008 put a hand on his chin, "She doesn't seem to be the type that'll sleep in."

003 stood up. "I'll go check on her."

Before she even moved from her spot, the door opened, revealing a cheerful 000 in her casual getup.

"Good morning, fellow Cyborgs!"

"Ah, 000," Dr. Gilmore held up his pipe. "How do you feel this morning?"

"Like a million bucks!"  She smiled brightly. "Anyway, I'm going to go out for a while into the city."

"Why?" asked 009.

"Because I have some stuff I want to buy," 000 replied while looking at him.

"I'll come with you," 003 offered.

The half-cat shook her head. "I would prefer to go alone, just today."

"Oh, OK," 003 said while blinking.

"By the way, what date is it today?"

"April 17, Friday," Dr. Gilmore answered.

"Thanks!" Before anyone knew it, 000 was gone. "Don't worry! I'll be back before you know it!" They heard her distant yell.

"Wonder what she's buying without telling the rest of us?" 004 wondered out loud. The others shrugged. Then, 006 remembered something.

"Wait, 000! You forgot to eat breakfast!" But that fell upon deaf ears.

"Thank you, come again!"

000 left a store with two bags, filled, one included a flyer of some sort.

"Well, that was easy. Now I just have to do this without any of them knowing," she said to herself as she made her way back to the Dolphin.

"Now then," she pulled the flyer out from the bag, "What is this that the lady gave me?" The half-cat started reading the piece of paper. "New amusement park opening on April 19… Cool! Maybe if the others agree, we'll go have some fun!"

While she walked back to the ship, she suddenly stopped. 'Strange, I thought I felt something… Something of malevolence.' She turned around, scanning through the numerous people walking. But she didn't sense the same feeling from any of them.

"Huh, must've been my imagination," she said before making her way to the Dolphin again.

However, she didn't notice a dark figure watching her, from atop a building.

Once 000 came back to the Dolphin, they had lunch. The others asked her what she bought over and over again.

"I already told you guys, I'm not telling!"

"How about just a hint about what it is?"

"No, 006, I'm not saying a word. And if that hand is going anywhere near the bags, 007, then I will be forced to claw you."

The Brit let out an 'eep' before snatching his hand back. The prototype grinned and nodded, telling him that he's done the right thing.

"Seriously, 000, why aren't you telling us?" 008 asked.

"You guys REALLY want to know?" she asked in an overly sweet voice.

"YES!" It seems the half-cat had annoyed the other 00 Cyborgs.

She held up her hands and said, "Nope! Sorry, can't tell you!"

If this were a normal Anime, then they would've fallen down.

"Sorry, but it's my little secret. Now then," she took the two bags and made her way to the exit, "I'll be in my room. And if ANY of you decide to spy on me, I won't talk to you ever again. Is that clear?"

The Cyborgs made out a resounding 'yes'.

"Good." With that, 000 left the dining room. The others heard her hum softly as she made for her new room. 

"Quite a convincing young girl, isn't she?" Dr. Gilmore said. The others nodded.

Soon each of them returned to their daily lives, but some couldn't help but wonder what their new addition to the family would hide from them.

Hours later, on a cliff, a lone female gazed down at the Dolphin with piercing violet eyes. Her short white hair and scarf followed the breeze's flow as she stood still atop the ridge.

"So that's where you've been hiding…" she said, her voice hinted with hate, "Soon, you shall suffer for what you have done him…"

She placed her foot near a rock. "Now, to set the trap…" She kicked the rock down, causing a crash once it came in contact with the rocks below. "That should catch the blonde girl's attention…"

A crash rang through 003's ears, causing her to stop in her conversation with 009.

"What's wrong, 003?" he asked.

"I heard something, or someone, outside the Dolphin…" The others tensed at this. 

"How many are there?" 004 asked.

003 closed her eyes and concentrated. "I think…there's only one."

"We better investigate it, just in case," 008 said, "How close is it?"

"Very close. In fact, we should be able to see once we leave the Dolphin," the French girl explained.

"Then it's best we check it out," 004 stated as he looked around, and noticed that a certain tailed Cyborg wasn't around. "Someone has to go tell 000 what's going on."

"I'll go," Dr. Gilmore offered, "Meanwhile, all of you go see what made that noise."

The Cyborgs nodded in agreement, and rushed off, while the professor hurried to 000's room.

Once the 00 Cyborgs were outside, they searched around the area for anything out of the ordinary, blasters ready.

"There's no use hiding!" 002 yelled, "Why don't you show yourself?" It seems the hotheaded American was eager for some action.

"Why don't you look up, 002?" a low voice said from above. All of them snapped their heads up to the direction where the voice came from. There, standing on the ridge, was a lovely female with short white hair covering her left eye. She had black lipstick and eyeliner, and wore a black version of their uniform, except she had a black miniskirt over a matching pair of tights. A white scarf trailed behind her, and around her head was a thick, silver band with a bright blue jewel. Her sharp dark purple eyes glared at the Cyborgs.

"Who are you?" 009 demanded, "Are you a Cyborg?"

"Yes, I am Cyborg 0022," she said and examined each Cyborg. "…Where is Cyborg 000?"

"Why do you want to know?"

The female stared at the Japanese teen fiercely, making him flinch a little. "Low-lives such as yourself does not have the honor to know why."

That remark had gotten 002 angry. "Low-lives?! I'll show you who's the low-life!" With that, he set his gun to Sting, and shot at 0022.

She scoffed. "Pointless…" she muttered before the gem embedded in her headband started glowing. Suddenly, a boulder shot up and blocked his attack, causing it to break into smaller rocks, almost smashing the other Cyborgs.

"What??" None of the Cyborgs could believe their eyes. The new enemy Cyborg had deflected 002's attack like it was nothing!

"Now then…" 0022 looked down at them with a maniacal grin. "Let's all have a little fun before I go see 000…" More boulders started floating, and shot out at the Cyborgs.

Inside the Dolphin, 000 ran through the halls and to the exit, clad in her uniform and without her hologram.

"Jeez, why didn't they get me before they moved?" she pondered out loud as she passed by numerous doors. She skidded to a halt at a particular door and looked at it.

"I may need some stuff before I go," she said before slipping in. 'For all I know, it could be another one of those Cyborgs Black Ghost sent after me.'

The 00 Cyborgs continued to dodge and blast the boulders that 0022 used to attack them. Some were lucky enough to get a shot at taking her down, but she simply used the boulders to repel the strikes. 003 barely dodged one, but out of unluckiness, she tripped.

"Ugh!" she grunted as she fell onto the ground. Before she could pick herself up, another boulder headed towards her. 'Oh no!' she thought before closing her eyes, awaiting the painful contact.

Fortunately, none came. Gradually, she opened her eyes, only to find herself looking at the kind eyes of 009.

"Are you OK?" he asked her. He had used his Acceleration Mode and saved her just in time.

Blushing lightly, she nodded, unable to say anything. 'He saved me again…'

Abruptly, the boulders stopped coming, and they faced a scoffing 0022.

"All of you are starting to bore me," the jewel started glowing again, "Too bad I saw you Cyborgs before Cyborg 000. It could've extended your lives." A sudden high-pitch noise rang through each of the red-uniformed Cyborgs' minds, making all of them cover their ears scream loudly in pain.

"Urgh…" 004 held up his blaster, trying to steady it, but can't due to the piercing sound. He could hear 0022 simply relishing his and his friends' pain.

Then a yellow blast was fired at the floating Cyborg. Not expecting this, she dodged it rather than deflecting it. Fortunately, she lost concentration, and the noise stopped.

"Yo, lady! Why don't you play that tune someplace else?"

Turning to the entrance of the Dolphin, they saw 000 standing there, her blaster in her hand. The half-cat had a serious face on.

"Ah, 000, just the Cyborg I wanted to meet," 0022 said as she tilted her head. "If you don't mind, I'd like to talk to you, alone."

Pushing his upper body up, 002 managed to murmur out, "Don't listen to her, it's a trap!"

Ignoring him, she shrugged. "Fine, long as you don't hurt my friends anymore. Other than that, lead the way."

That's when both used Acceleration Mode, and dashed off to the nearby forest.

"000!" she heard her friends say before disappearing into the dense trees.

Before long, 000 and 0022 stopped in the forest, 10 feet away from each other and staring each other. They stayed silent for what seemed to be an eternity.

"Tell me, 000," 0022 started, "Did you fight a Cyborg yesterday with long hair and black makeup?" 

Immediately, 0021 came into her mind. "You mean Cyborg 0021? What about him?"

As though she had pressed a button, the hatred in the white-haired Cyborg deepened. "So Black Ghost was right. You were the one that killed him…" she whispered before looking down, her fists clenched tightly.

000 watched her opponent warily. "Is there something you'd like to tell me about him?"

But her question was overlooked. "You…killed…my…BOYFRIEND!!" 0022 charged at the prototype.

"Whoa!" 000 dodged and struck her head, causing the other to stumble. 'So he's her boyfriend. No wonder I thought they looked about the same!' She then slapped herself mentally. 'Now's not the time to be thinking about this!'

"You'll pay for what you did to him!"  The gem on her headband glowed again, and rocks started shooting at 000. This caught the half-cat off-guard, and the rocks made a direct hit, bruising her.

"Ow…" she muttered before dodging and shooting at another array of rocks.

Her defensive moves were aggravating 0022. "Stop running away and fight!" the violet-eyed woman shouted and charged again.

'Her rage is blinding her common sense,' the tailed Cyborg sidestepped a little so that she moved out of 0022's way, and then kneed her in the stomach, making her opponent stagger backwards, 'I think this could be used to my advantage.'

"Hold on, 0022," 000 interrupted their fight, holding her hands up.

"What?!"

"I don't think I'm fighting fairly with you, so here's what I'll do," the half-cat threw her gun down, "I won't use any weapons," she then drew her hands back, "And I won't use my fists. All I'm going use are my feet."

0022 gazed at her as if she was insane, but then laughed inhumanly. "Foolish girl. You just bought yourself a one-way ticket to hell," she hissed before her headband's gem started glowing again.

Only this time, the band exploded, heavily damaging her skull.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhh!" she cried in pain as she fell back on the ground, blood oozing from her severe wound. 000 could only watch as tears of pain slid out from her eyes.

Gasping, the white-haired woman asked, "H-how did you do that?"

"Simple, really," the half-cat started explaining as she put her blaster back into the holster, "Remember when I struck your head? I just took that time to one of my tail spikes into your headband. You see, I knew from the start that your powers resided within that band, rather than in you. That is why the gem set in your band glowed every time you used it."

"I, see, that you're, quite the observant one…" 0022 managed to say as she shifted her eyes to the sky. Roars of thunder can be heard. 

"I'll…be able…to see…him again…" she said softly before closing her eyes, death falling upon the Cyborg.

Rain started pouring. 000 closed her eyes and raised her head up at the rain, letting it hit her body.

'_Until then, others like 0021 will continue to pursue you!'_ Black Ghost's voice rang through her mind again.

'Will this keep going on if I stay? Will my friends suffer from the Cyborgs that are sent to get me?' she thought as the rain brought comfort to her body.

"000!"

Opening her eyes again, she turned, facing her injured friends.

"Are you all right?" 004 asked.

After staring at them for a few minutes, the golden-eyed Cyborg smiled with her eyes closed.

"Just fine, 004. Just fine…"

How's that for chapter 7?

Wow, 0021 and 0022 inspired me to actually draw a picture of them! How weird is that? Oh, and the spike at the end of 000's tail can be used to shoot out and attack enemies.

So, please leave a review, and flames shall be fired at Black Ghost himself!


	8. Amusement Park Fun and a Farewell

So this is how writer's block feels… When you have no idea on what happens next in the story… @_@

*whacks Black Ghost with the flame Black Wolf Meleny sent* Die! Mwuahahahahahahahaha!

000: *sweatdrops* I get a feeling she's blaming Black Ghost for her writer's block…

To Story Weaver: Let's see… Acceleration Mode and add that to her usual speed of all the cats in the feline family… Yeah, she's faster than 002 and 009.

Whee, I finished the picture of 0021 and 0022! I like how 0022 came out, but 0021 was such a disappointment. He looks too much like a girl! Go to my deviantART account to look at the pic.

By the way, there's a part where I'll suddenly change the Cyborgs' names to their human names, so no need to inform me that I made typos.

Anyway, here's chapter 8!

It's been two day ever since the 00 Cyborgs fought 0022. Nothing of the unusual happened since then. 000 had became closer to each of the 00 Cyborgs. Though she still stayed in her room, not coming out unless it was for food or cooking lessons from 006. This stirred everyone's curiosity, but they didn't want to follow 007's example of almost getting scratched painfully for trying to sneak into her room. The secret conversation between 000 and 0022 only added to their curiosity, but they never asked. 

Today was different than the two days before. After lunch, 000 finally came out of her room, and it's not for food or lessons. This time, she had a different reason to come out. As she walked to the main room, she bumped into 003. Luckily both of them were still standing from the contact.

"Oh, sorry 003!" 000 quickly apologized.

"That's OK, 000," the French girl said, but blinked when she saw that the shorter female held a rolled-up flyer in her right hand. 

"What's that you have there?" she asked while pointing to the piece of paper.

"Oh, this?" 000 holds up the flyer, "I'll tell you once we get to the main room."

"All right."

The two female friends then make their way to the main room, where most of the male Cyborgs were.

"Amusement park?" all the Cyborgs, except the half-cat, echoed.

"That's right," 000 stated as she unrolled the flyer, and displayed it to the Cyborgs, "It just opened yesterday, and I thought that all of us should go today and have some fun. After all, I think we need it after that encounter with 0022."

003 smiled. "Sounds great."

"I'm in," 007 said.

009 thought about this for a while. "Sure, why not?" 008 and 006 also agreed to go.

"No thanks," 005 scratched the back of his head, "I never really liked places with loud noises. Besides, someone needs to watch the Dolphin."

"I'll sit this one out, too," Dr. Gilmore puffed on his pipe, "I'll keep 005 company and take care of 001."

"I understand," 000 turned to 002, "So, you coming along, tough guy?"

002 shifted his eyes to her direction. "Why should I go, too?"

"Because it'll be more fun when there are more people!" the golden-eyed Cyborg said cutely with her eyes closed and index finger raised. If this were a normal Anime, then there would've been flowers floating around her.

The orange-haired American just stared at her before ducking his head. "Fine, I'll go."

000 just smiled before looking around the room, and realized that a Cyborg was missing. "Hey, where's 004?"

"I think he's in his room," 005 responded.

"Oh, thanks, big guy!" she exclaimed before taking off. They heard her say, "Be sure to be ready in 30 minutes, and we'll leave for the amusement park!" before her voice completely trailed off. Before long, the Cyborgs left for their respective rooms to change, leaving behind a certain Cyborg.

'Argh!!' he tried to calm the blush on his face, 'Why do I always feel this way around her? Wait, could it be… No way, couldn't be.'

002 started walking to his room. 'There's no way I could be falling for someone like her. Sure, she's nice, strong-willed, a bit annoying but cute… Wait, I did NOT just say 'cute'!' He scratched his head in frustration as he entered his bedroom.

"004, are you in there?" 000 asked while knocking on the door to said Cyborg's room.

"Yeah, hold on," she heard his voice before the door hissed open, "So, what brings you to my humble room?"

Smirking, she replied, "Well, a new amusement park opened in Tokyo yesterday, and I was wondering if you'd like to go. The others already said that they would come along."

The silver-eyed man put his metal hand to his chin. "Hmm…Sure, I'll tag along."

"Cool! Be ready in 30 minutes, because that's when we'll leave." With that, the peppy Cyborg left.

004 sighed, head shaking but grinning. 'Strange, I'm experiencing a familiar warm feeling whenever she's around,' he took the necklace with Hilda's ring out, 'This…feels just like time when I first met Hilda…" He closed the door, and sat on his bed. He stayed there for a while, thinking. 

'Am I…falling in love with her? Sure, I care for her, but…' he fingered the ring, 'Is it the same way that I cared for Hilda?' At this thought, he smiled sadly. 'Even if I did, she would never fall for me…' he gazed at his metal hand, 'I hardly am human anymore…'

Putting the necklace back around his neck, he sauntered to his closet. "Maybe it's best if I get ready. I wouldn't want to face an annoyed half-feline today." He remembered when 007 tried to slip into her room, and smiled. The scene of 000 chasing 007 with her claws drawn out was funny and enjoyable, unless you were the said British man. 004 never noticed, but ever since she came to their team, everyone's spirits has lifted. Hell, even 002 had started to open up more. Even though there were tough times, but she always managed to keep a smile on, even after the ordeal of killing Cyborg 0022.

'But I wonder…" he started changing, 'If her cheerful face is actually a mask to hide something…'

All of the Cyborgs going to the amusement park were waiting in the main room, in casual and ready. The only one missing was 000.

"Where is she? 009 wondered out loud.

"Probably still deciding what the wear," 002 said as she put his hands behind his head, "You know how women are."

"Well, some people don't take that long to decide what to wear for this occasion," 000's voice said from behind the door, sounding a tiny bit peeved. Everyone blinked, except 003 who just sighed.

"C'mon, 000, I bet you look cute in that outfit," she said, trying to coax the half-cat to open the door.

"Huh?" Needless to say, the male Cyborgs were confused.

"B-but I feel so embarrassed!" 000's voice suddenly sounded high-pitch.

"Don't worry, 000. C'mon…"

Silence dragged on. Then the door hissed open, and numerous jaws dropped open.

"Oh, you look so cute!" 003 squealed. This just caused the prototype to blush lightly and look down at her hands.

Though 003 was right about the cute part. What 000 wore was, how to put it, different from her usual winged outfit. She wore a sky blue shirt under a white jacket, a turquoise skirt, white boots and black socks. Her hair was let loose with two light blue barrettes. Her pendant was most likely tucked under her shirt, since her cat ears and tail can't be seen. Her blush only added to her cuteness. (AN: Look in my deviantART account for picture.)

"Don't you all agree?" 003's voice snapped the males back to reality.

"Indeed!" 007 agreed quickly, "Tell me, 000, what's the occasion?"

"Er…" 000 raised her head up, scratching her head, "003 asked me wear this outfit just for today…" Her voice began to return back to its normal carefree tone.

"You seem uncomfortable. Is something the matter?" 008 queried.

Her cheeks returned to their normal color. "Well, I'm not used to wearing skirts, that's all," she cleared her throat, "Enough about my clothes. Let's go have some fun now!"

"Looks like this place is pretty popular," Kit spoke when she and the 00 Cyborgs reached the amusement park's gate. Many people, most in groups, scurried here and there, some buying tickets and some entering the amusement park.

"I'll go buy the tickets," Albert offered as he made his way to the ticket booths. Pyunma followed him, leaving the rest to converse with each other. But Kit and Jet were stayed at the side, quiet. The half-cat glanced at the American, locking eyes with him. He had been looking at her from the corner of his eyes.

"OK…" she started as she turned her head towards him, "Why have you been staring at me?"

Jet blinked and faced her. "What?"

"In fact, you've been staring at me ever since we grouped in the main room. What gives?"

The orange-haired teen just shrugged. "You just look different, that's all. It's not everyday you see someone such as yourself wear a skirt."

Kit put a finger to her cheek. "I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult."

"C'mon, you two!" Francoise's voice called, "Albert and Pyunma bought the tickets!"

Jet looked over the shorter female, as if studying her.

"Yes?" Kit asked in a slightly annoyed voice.

"…Those hairclips look cute on you."

As if he hit a button, she blushed brightly, causing him to grin.

"W-whatever!" she cried as she hurried past him, face still flushed, "C'mon, the others are waiting!" Jet just jogged after her without saying a thing.

Right after they entered the amusement park, they had their picture taken by one of the female staff. Kit had to drag Jet, much to the taller Cyborg's dismay.

"Oh, before we go, there's something I have to say," the half-feline turned around to face the rest, "If any of us get lost, just go have fun. There's no use trying to find the other in this big place." Her friends nodded in confirmation.

"So, what shall we go on first?"

"How about-" But before Joe could finish, an unusually large crowd of people collided into them, separating the 00 Cyborgs.

"Whoa!"

"What the-"

"Joe!"

The Japanese turned to where the last voice came, and saw Francoise just a few feet away. He pushed the strangers away, getting closer to the French girl. Once he was near enough, he grabbed her hand and led them out from the crowd.

"Are you all right, Francoise?" Joe asked.

She gave a small nod. "I'm all right, but…" she turned back to where the swarm of people used to be, "We're separated from the others…"

Joe looked around, only to see that she was right. Their friends are nowhere to be seen.

"You're right…" But remembering what Kit had said, he looked at Francoise's eyes. "So, what would you like to do?"

"But what about the others?"

"I'm sure they're fine. Besides, Kit did say that if we get separated, we should go ourselves."

"…I guess so."

"Who knows? Maybe we'll run into one of them."

Francoise smiled. "OK." She blinked when Joe extended a hand to her.

"…So that the two of us won't get go astray," he explained while his cheeks turned pink.

The blonde found that her cheeks were feeling warmer. "Oh…" she whispered before taking his hand.

"Where would you like to go, Francoise?"

"I don't know… I guess we'll just walk around and see."

"OK."

Soon after that, the two strolled into the amusement park, hand in hand.

"Now this is a good start!" Kit said as she pumped her fist and watched the two Cyborgs walk away from behind a booth.

"Remind me again why are you doing this?" Chang's voice inquired from behind the half-feline. If the booth had not supported her, she would've fallen down from the chef's denseness.

G.B. sighed. "Isn't it obvious, Chang?" the pudgy Chinese looked at him, "Kit's trying to get Joe and Francoise to admit their feelings for each other. I'm sure you noticed, right?"

"Oh, I get it! That's why you didn't get them while the crowd was still there." The others just shook their head at his slowness.

"That's right. So…" Kit faced her male comrades, "You guys have an idea on what you want to do now?"

"Uh…" Clearly the guys didn't know. She just rolled her eyes.

"Why don't you decide?" Albert brought up, "You seem to know what you'd like to do."

The prototype grinned with a hint of mischief. "All right then…" Before any of them knew it, she grabbed the German's hand and ran off. "Let's go on the roller coasters!"

"Hey, wait up!" Jet shouted before he and the rest sprinted after them.

"Quite the lively one, isn't she?" G.B. said.

"Oh yeah," Pyunma agreed.

Hours had passed since Kit took the remaining Cyborgs to practically half of all roller coasters in the amusement park. Since then, G.B. had decided to go watch some stage performances, and Chang and Pyunma gone to get something to eat. This left the half-cat with Jet and Albert, and she had dragged them to the other rides that they haven't been on. Now, sitting on a bench, the two males weren't tired. No, they were EXHAUSTED. They were thankful that Kit decided to rest for a while.

"Jeez, don't you, have an 'Off' switch??" Jet wondered out loud while still trying to catch his breath.

She replied while tilting her head with a finger to her chin, "Hmm, let me think… Nope!" This made the orange-haired Cyborg groan out loud but Albert chuckle.

"Well, since you guys obviously don't want to go on another ride, we'll do something low-leveled," Kit looked around for anything less exciting than the roller coasters, "What would you two suggest?"

Looking around, Albert spotted a shooting gallery. "How about that?"

The prototype glanced at the booth, and smiled. "I don't mind. After all, it could sharpen our shooting skills." She shifted her gaze at Jet, knowing that she needed to get him to go without the dragging. She smirked inwardly. "Bet I can beat you at it, Jet!"

"What?!" Jet snapped his head towards her, jumping up from his seat, "You think you can beat me, the coolest and strongest Cyborg ever?"

"Yes, I can… No, I WILL beat you!" she mock-taunted, "Oh, and take some lessons on modesty. You'll be needing it."

"Oh, that is IT!" The long-nosed male stomped his way to the gallery, "We'll see who's beating whom!"

"C'mon, Albert!"

"Hoo boy, kids these days…" the silver-eyed man mumbled before walking after them

Well, in the end, Albert had won. While Kit was making amends to Jet for being such a disrespectful Cyborg, the man who ran the shooting gallery gave him a prize. He looked down and blinked. It was a white, black-spotted stuffed kitty with a gold bell tied around its neck by a pink ribbon. He kept staring at it until he heard Kit's voice.

"You got a doll?" she looked at the stuffed animal, "Oh, it's so cute!"

"…Here," he said, handing it to her.

"Eh? Are you sure you want to give it to lil' ol' me?" A nod was all she received, and, smiling brilliantly, she took it, "Thank you, Albert."

The German blushed in embarrassment as he scratched his head. However, Jet frowned.

'OK, what is this I'm feeling? Jealousy…?' he mentally slapped himself, 'Please, why would I feel jealous? I don't like 000 that way…'

"Hello! Earth to Jet!" Kit cried into his ear. Boy, that was a rude awakening.

"Ow…"

"Good, now that I have your attention…" she put her free hand on her hip while her other hand held onto the stuffed kitty, "I asked if you were hungry. After all, it's close to dinnertime."

The American's stomach suddenly rumbled. All of them remained quiet from that abrupt sound before the half-cat giggled softly.

"I'd take it that's a 'yes'."

"Err, yeah…"

Kit rolled her eyes before grabbing his arm and hurrying off, Albert close behind. "C'mon, let's go find someplace to eat."

Soon, the three found a restaurant with a dance floor outside, seating themselves at a three-people table. There was a DJ playing music, and people dancing to it. Jet was gobbling a huge cheeseburger, saying something about not being able to have good food; Albert silently chewed his sandwich, and Kit took small bites of her cheese pizza. (AN: Wait, is there such a restaurant…? Ah, who cares!)

Jet finished his burger, and moved on to the fries that were included in his order. "Man, it's been such a long time since I had real food!"

"Chinese food is real food," Kit said, emphasizing on the 'is'.

"Well," Albert took a swig of his coffee, "You tend to get fed up when you eat the same food over and over again."

"I guess that's true…" the half-cat said as she wiped her mouth with a napkin.

For the past hour, they chatted while having a cup of coffee (iced tea for Kit). Occasionally Kit will bob her head to a new song the DJ was playing. As some techno music started playing, she glanced towards the dance floor to see who were dancing, only to raise an eyebrow, partially in amusement.

Noticing this, Albert asked, "Something the matter?"

His reply was a fit of giggles as Kit clutched onto her stomach with tears at the side of her eyes.

"Kit?"

"W-why don't you l-look o-ver there?" she suggested while trying to stifle her giggling. 

The two males did. Immediately, their jaws dropped, and they also tried to choke back laughter. There, on the dance floor, was G.B., dancing to this music he never heard before and trying to impress the ladies. The others were at a table opposite of them looking very embarrassed, hiding their faces from everyone's view as if saying, "I don't know him, I don't know him".

"What, I would give, for a video camera!" Jet cried, his laughter slipping through. Albert's serious face was REALLY forced at the time.

Finally controlling herself, Kit sighed. "OK, he's just making a fool of himself there…" she said before getting up and walking to the British. She grabbed the back of his shirt collar and pulled him to the table where most of their group was. Jet and Albert had already moved to that table.

"I believe you should stick to acting, G.B.," Kit said as she seated him on a chair.

"You see! That's what I keep telling him, but noooooo…" Chang grumbled.

"What was that?!"

"You heard me!"

Pyunma groaned. "This could take a while…"

She rubbed her temples gently. 'Imagine them invisible, imagine them invisible…'

"Hey Kit," she looked at Francoise, "How's everything for you?"

"Great!" she replied while smiling, "How 'bout you? Are you enjoying it?"

The French girl nodded. "Joe even won me a prize at one of the booths," and to prove her point, she held up a stuffed toffee-colored rabbit doll.

"Aw, that's so sweet of you, Joe, winning a prize just for Francoise…" The two said Cyborgs blushed. Just then, a slow song made Kit's unseen ears perk up. 'Lucky!' she thought before gripping onto Joe and Francoise's arms.

"Go and dance, you two!"

"What?"

"Wait a-"

The two found themselves at the middle, among all the other couples that started swaying to the music. 

"Err…" Francoise's cheeks were crimson.

"Well, since we're out here…" Joe peered at her, "Would you like to dance?"

The blonde girl's face was beyond red. "Uh, sure…" her answer was whispered, but the red-eyed male was able to catch it. 

Turning towards each other, he put his hands on her hips as she positioned her hands on his shoulders. By then, they flowed to the music.

'Oh my god, I'm so close to him…!' Francoise thought as she felt her heart pound loudly in her chest. Ever since she admitted what she truly felt for Joe to herself, her feelings became stronger and stronger for him. 'Should I tell him…? But what if he doesn't feel the same way?' For some odd reason, she imagined what Kit would advise her to do if she asked the half-cat. ' "Do not, I repeat, do NOT just think that! Don't ever back down, even if your subconscious tells you to! Because you'll never know how he feels if you don't tell him first!" ' She smiled to herself. She always admired the shorter female for her ability to never let doubt get the best of her. 'I'll do it. I'll tell him now,' she thought as she mustered what courage she had.

"Um, Joe?"

"Yes?"

Swallowing her nervousness, she continued. "There's, something I always wanted to tell you…"

"What is-" he wasn't able to finish when Francoise's lips were pressed against his. His eyes widened. 'I don't believe it… Francoise is kissing me?' Without hesitating, he kissed back. The two of them ignored Kit's squeal in delight.

After what seemed forever, Joe broke the kiss, gazing into Francoise's aqua green eyes. "Francoise…"

"Joe, I…" she put her head on his chest, hoping this wasn't a dream, "…I always loved you. Ever since you saved me from 0010's attack…" She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the rejection.

Instead, the Japanese embraced her in a warm hug, surprising her. "And here I thought, you didn't return my feelings…"

Francoise fixed her eyes on Joe's. "Does that mean you…"

"Yes," he placed a hand on the kind female's soft cheek, "I love you too…"

She felt like crying with joy. "Oh, Joe…"

"Francoise…"

"I hate to break this oh-so-sweet moment…" they turned, seeing Kit next to them, "But everyone's off the dance floor."

Looking around, they found that she was right. Everyone, but themselves, were left on the said floor. Blushing in embarrassment, Francoise and Joe walked back to their table, holding hands, with an unusually perky Kit in tow. Once they returned to the table, the new couple was greeted with teases.

"Bravo! You two finally had the courage to tell each other what you really felt for each other!" G.B. congratulated, clapping.

"Took you two long enough," Jet said through a smirk.

Joe and Francoise just blushed, saying nothing. Albert smiled at the two. He was glad that they finally got together, but he also felt a bit sad because they reminded him of the times when Hilda was still alive. He sighed softly.

"You OK?"

He looked up at a pair of concerned gold eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said with an assuring smile before standing up, "I'm going to go for a walk."

Kit just watched him leave. 'Something's wrong… His eyes were filled with sorrow…'

Albert leaned onto the rail that stopped little kids from jumping into the lake in front. He stared down at his reflection on the dark water, listening to the happy couples in the background. Just seeing Joe and Francoise together made him yearn to have the old times when he still had Hilda.

'I wished I haven't done that…' Albert's mind wandered back to when he attempted to leave East Germany with her, 'If I hadn't tried to leave, she would still be here…'

"A penny for your thoughts?"

Turning his head around, he blinked. There stood Kit, holding the stuffed animal he gave her with a small smirk on her face.

"Oh, Kit. What are you doing here?"

"Just coming here to see if you're all right," she answered before leaning onto the rail next to him, "So, tell me, what's on your mind?"

Albert shifted his gaze back onto his reflection in the lake. 'That's strange… I don't feel surprised that she came. Is it because I was expecting her to find me…?'

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," her soft voice jerked him out from his thoughts, "But, you'll feel better if you talk to someone about it." With that, she turned to leave.

"Wait."

Upon hearing this, she stopped in her tracks, but she didn't turn around.

"Listen, Kit…" Albert hesitated a little. Should he tell her? But somehow he felt that he could confide to her what's in his mind.

"Hmm?" Kit made out, letting him know that he has her full attention.

He thought about how he should put it in words. "…Have you ever done something in the past that you wished you never should have done…?"

At this, she walked up to him. "You mean like regrets?" A nod was the reply. She grinned before leaning onto the rail and looked up at the star-filled sky. "Sure, I have a lot of regrets. For instance, I shouldn't have accepted Black Ghost's offer about a safe home and food to eat, and I should have never became the best soldier they had."

"However…" he looked at her, and she also faced him, "If I hadn't done any of those, I wouldn't have been able to meet you or the others. So, instead of regretting what I've have done in the past for the rest of my life, I think about the joys I have in the present, since it brings me happiness rather than sadness." Her lips formed an extremely friendly smile, hoping that she had comforted him just a bit.

Albert was surprised. He was intrigued on how the golden-eyed Cyborg was able to have such wisdom, especially when she had been through so much pain and suffering during her time working under Black Ghost. And her smile… It filled his heart with comfort and bliss, much like when Hilda smiled at him.

'Now that I think about it, whenever I'm around her, it feels very similar to when I'm with Hilda, but slightly different…' He couldn't deny it anymore. Albert Heinrich was falling in love with Kit. He still loved Hilda, but he knew that she would want him to be happy and to move on, not to be alone and drown in sorrow.

"Kit, I-"

Suddenly a deafening boom resounded from above.

"Mreow!!" Kit yowled before clutching onto Albert, scared half-to-death from the unexpected noise.

The German blushed from the close contact. He looked around for the cause of the explosion. Once he found out what it was, he chuckled.

"Don't worry, Kit. It's nothing but the fireworks."

"Fireworks?" Confusion. Fortunately for him, she loosened her grip on him, though he didn't mind that she was so close to him.

"Look up at the sky."

She did as she told, only to have her eyes widen in surprise and delight. In the sky, brilliantly colored fireworks illuminated the sky.

"I've never seen anything this beautiful…ever," the half-feline murmured. Then she realized that she was still holding onto Albert and flushed lightly.

"Sorry!" she started backing away. However, the silver-eyed man laid a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

Kit blinked. "Huh?" she looks up at his eyes. 'Strange, they looked even prettier than before. And is it just me, or is his face getting closer?'

"Albert, what are you-mmph!" Her eyes became larger as she felt the German's lips on hers. 'He's…kissing me?!' Kit's knees were getting weak. She had always liked him more than a friend, but she was skilled when it comes to hiding true emotions. Slowly, she moved her hands to wrap them around his neck, but froze. 'No, I… I… I can't!' Squeezing her eyes shut, she pushed him away roughly.

Albert stumbled from the abrupt shove, but caught himself. His mind was numb as he watched her put a hand over her mouth.

"I… I…" she didn't finish, and ran, dropping the cat doll.

"Kit, wait!" But it was too late. The prototype was gone. He felt like he had just been slapped in the face. "What have I done…?" he picked up the stuffed animal and stared at it, "…She only saw me as a friend, nothing more, but I just ruined our friendship…" He bowed his head, ashamed, before walking to the other direction.

"Where are they? They've been gone for a long time…" Francoise said with a worried tone.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they're fine," Joe assured her, an arm around her shoulders. As if on cue, Albert appears, his eyes staring down at the ground.

"Hey Albert!" Pyunma yelled, catching his attention. He replied with a simple 'hey'.

"Where's Kit?"

"Huh?"

"I said, 'Where's Kit'?" Jet repeated in a, not irritated, but in a voice that had no emotion in them. Everyone quirked an eyebrow, but he just shrugged. Unlike them, he knew what happened between Albert and Kit. In fact, he saw with his own two eyes.

*Flashback*

' "I'm going to go and take a breather," ' Jet heard Kit's voice in his head say before she went off. Somehow, he detected that she didn't tell him the full truth about her 'breather', so he sneaked after her. After a few minutes, he found that the half-cat was with Albert. 'Ha, I knew it!'

The two had a light conversation before the fireworks exploded in the sky. The first one caused Kit to clasp onto Albert, causing Jet to feel a slight pang of…jealousy, maybe? It wasn't long until the older Cyborg had kissed the prototype on the lips. At this, Jet felt his world crashing around him.

'000…and 004? I don't believe this!' The American marched away, trying to sort his mixed feelings. 'I thought I didn't like her that way!' he slowed down to a stroll, 'If that's true, why am I feeling so angry that 004 had kissed her…?' he looked up at the sky, '…I guess I didn't know what I truly felt until someone else had stepped up to bat…'

Jet let out a long sigh before he turned his attention onto the ground. 'How did I end up falling in love with her…? Was it her smile? Her personality?' he started his way back to where the others were, '…I guess it's just one of the things you just don't understand why it happens… 000…' he stopped just before the entrance to the restaurant.

"As long as you're happy, then I'm happy."

*End Flashback*

Albert was quiet for what seemed like forever. "I think she went back to the Dolphin…"

"Hmm," was all Jet said before he stood up.

"Where are you going?" Chang asked.

"Back, what else? It's getting late anyway." And without waiting for a reply, he turned. Just before he passed Albert, he whispered in a low and dangerous voice, "If you had upset her even one bit, I will kill you…"

Albert blinked, and Jet walked away.

"That…was weird," G.B. said.

"…Let's go back…"

It's been hours ever since everyone got back on the Dolphin and went to sleep. Almost close to midnight, 000 walked out from one of the Cyborgs' rooms. Looking left and right, she snuck into each of the other Cyborgs' rooms. She came to Albert's last. As she placed something on nightstand, her ears picked up mumbled words.

"No, please… Kit…"

000 turned to the German, only to see his eyes squeezed shut. Immediately, she knew that he was having a nightmare. Hating to see him like this, she placed a hand on his cheek, stroking it.

"Don't worry, 004, everything's OK…" To her relief, his face relaxed. But she never expected 004's human hand to grab her hand all of the sudden. Jumping a little, her gold eyes were met with silver ones.

"000, is that you?" he asked, sitting up on his elbows while still holding onto her hand. Since her cat vision improved her ability to see in the dark, she saw that he didn't wear a shirt. 000 was grateful for the darkness because her cheeks had flushed red from a glimpse at the German's bare chest.

Instead of answering, she pulled her hand away and put a finger to his lips, silencing him. With her other hand, she put it over her mouth, and then kissed 004 full on the lips.

His eyes widened, 'Is this a dream..?' Soon he slowly closed his eyes and responded to the caress, 'No, this isn't a…dream…' Abruptly, he fell back onto his bed, 000's lips still on his. Steady breathing was all she heard before she pulled away.

'I'm sorry, Albert…' she thought as she pulled the covers up to his chin, '…But I can't do this with you awake. I just wished you didn't wake up so that I have to use the sleeping medicine…' With one last kiss on the cheek, she fled from his room, from the Dolphin.

At a half-mile away from the massive ship, 000 turned her head around, looking it over for the last time before running full speed.

'Farewell, everyone. It was great to have known each of you.'

Wow, what a crappy chapter this has been! I think the writer's block is affecting my writing skills.

000: Either that or it's because you've been playing too much Zelda the Wind Waker, and that you have many ideas for a pic but can't get yourself to draw them.

……………..

Please leave a review, and flames shall be used against Ganadorf from the said video game!


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